Live in Pattaya

Transportation to/from Suvarnabhumi Airport…..and Beyond Featured

New Pattaya residents and visitors need to know how to get to and from the new Suvarnabhumi Airport to Pattaya, and if interested, into Bangkok. Joe Lizzerd shartes with our readers, the latest updates of schedules and strategies for making your trip uneventful.

Roong Reung's Blue and White coach service departs from the airport bus depot to Pattaya Nua station at the following times: 8 AM, 11 AM, 3 PM and 7 PM. The Ticket office window is in the airport bus station. Price 106 Baht.

Bell Travel goes up to the new airport each day from Pattaya Nua Bus Station (ticket office bungalow in the car park to right) at 06:00, 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00 and 19:00. Two ticket prices, depending if you book to be picked up by Bell Travel minibus from your home, 150 Baht or 200 Baht.

A Yellow Bus to the airport leaves from Jomtien's Chaiyaphuk Road, (the office is near Beach Road ). Tickets can be purchased 1 day in advance.

The current schedule is:

Pattaya to Airport: 0630, 0900, 1300, 1700, 1930.

Airport to Pattaya: 0630, 0900, 1300, 1700, 2030.

At the airport - Transport Depot - this bus to Jomtien is referred to as number 999, but the bus itself does NOT carry this number. The bus is bright Yellow - single deck, with the words Pattaya - Suvarnabhumi Airport written large on both sides, and a large notice in the drivers windshield saying either Pattaya or Airport. The cost is 106 baht in each direction. A recent visitor who used this bus reported a 'good service'. The yellow bus does not have a scheduled stop in Pattaya, but will stop if requested.

When travelling from airport: Leave the Departure terminal door with your baggage (Arrivals is much busier) and take the Shuttle Bus for a 5+ minute ride to the airport's public transportation centre (where city buses and taxis park). Upon arrival look for minivans that are at the end of the long row of big city buses.

There will be many and they have the letters NGV on them and destinations in Thai and English. There are several tables where you buy a ticket for the minivan. Find the right ticket seller for your destination, pay your 45 baht or so, and get in the correct minivan. When it's full, you'll be on your way via toll-ways to your destination. Choosing a route to a BTS station extends your choices of final destination! Try it, and tell us what you think.

A fast and cheap way to get between the New Airport and downtown Bangkok is the shared-passenger NGV (natural gas vehicle) minivans that run from various parts of the city. They are clean (many are new), cheap, convenient, hassle-free, and fast as they do the trip via toll-roads. There are various routes from around the city, but here are the details to/from Victory Monument and, thus, a BTS Skytrain.

BTS/Victory Monument to the airport: Take the Skytrain to Victory Monument, walk the Skywalk to the right and down the stairs to the 7-Eleven and Dunkin' Donuts stands. Usually very near there, to the right of these stands, in the city bus queue is one of these vans (some or all have NGV written on them) waiting to fill up, which they do quickly. Cost - around 45 baht, drive-time to airport in rush hour - about 25 minutes. Confirm with the driver that they are going to Suvarnabhumi, they will throw your luggage in the back, pay him, and go.

They'll drop you off at the terminal. If the minivan isn't in the roundabout queue, you can either wait for one to arrive, or do a little exploring. There's a little side soi that sort-of tucks under an expressway, there are about a hundred shared-passenger minivans under there waiting to go to different parts of the city, just ask around for the one to Suvarnabhumi. This is a sweet, cheap, option from City to Airport.